Besides its obvious destructive potential, military R&D also serves to protect human lives, equipment and facilities against the effects of weapons. Concepts have therefore been developed that improve safety of stationary and mobile facilities against pressure waves, thermal radiation and fire. Effective, fast fire extinguishing equipment has been designed for tank compartments and motors. Closed buildings are demolished and landmines are removed with gas and dust explosions. Stringent safety requirements have been developed for the production of ammunition and explosives. Military and related industries have accumulated a vast knowledge and sophisticated experience that are very valuable in a variety of civil applications. The knowledge is based on theoretical and experimental research work, the origin of which sometimes dates back many centuries. It has often been classified and therefore has remained unknown to the civilian population, until now.

Zusammenfassung
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop, Novosibirsk, Russia, May 12-15, 1998

Inhalt

1. Review on explosion events - a comparison of military and civil experiences.- 2. Explosions caused by fires at high explosives production.- 3. Prediction of large scale fire behavior using nuterial flammability properties.- 4. Use of modem composite materials of the chemical heat accumulator type 1 for fire protection and fire extinguishing.- 5. Test method for ranking the fire properties of materials in space based facilities.- 6. From rocket exhaust plume to fire hazards - methods to analyse radiative heat flux.- 7. A review of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling of gas explosions.- 8. Detonation hazards of gaseous mixtures.- 9. Evaluation of hazard of spray detonation.- 10. Dispersion-initiation and detonation of liquid and dust aerosols - experiences derived from military fuel-air explosives.- 11. Hydrogen fire and explosion safety of atomic power plants.- 12. Hydrogen accidents and their hazards.- 13. Thin layer boilover of pure or multicomponent fuels.- 14. Industrial accident modelling: consequences and risk.- 15. The problems of porous flame-arresters.- 16. Ignition and extinction of solid propellants by thermal radiation.- 17. An assessment of ignition hazard for shielded energetic materials and its relation to flammable chemicals.- 18. Application of high energy materials for commercial use the Indian scene.- 19. Modelling of fire effects on equipment engulfed in a fire.- 20. Mathematical modeling of catastrophic explosions of dispersed aluminum dust.- 21. Characteristics and applicability of radiothermal location system for the purpose of fire detection in Chernobyl NPP area.- 22. Limiting conditions of forest fires spreading and elaboration of the new methods to fight them.- 23. Vortex powder method for extinguishing a fire on spoutinggas-oil wells.- 24. Nanosize electro-explosion powders: assessment of safety in the production and application.- 25. Cold gas generators: multiple use in hazardous situations.- 26. Fast response fire extinguishing systems based on military equipment.- 27. On near-limiting mechanisms of catastrophic explosions penetrating through channels.